SmartSign

Safety signs lessen the likelihood of accidents to employees and non-employees, and therefore creates a safer working environment.

Safety signs can also be displayed via our Modulean® Shadow Board system. Using the standardised Board 2 (Notice Board), you can display up to four A4 safety signs or notices. The beauty of Modulean® is you can then add to the modular display in the future, depending on your needs. For example, you could add Board 7 (First Aid Board) or Board 10 (Fire Safety Board) to store important safety products.

Electricalsafetysigns PDF

Signs prohibiting an activity appear as a circular red band with a single diagonal cross line descending from left to right at a 45-degree angle. The background should be solid white with the imagery indicating the nature of the command in black.

A great way to display mandatory signs is through graphic floor markers. For example, you can use either full-circle or half-circle floor markers to highlight areas where Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is mandatory.

There are lots of ways to display workplace safety signs. Often they are affixed to walls using screws. However, our Frames4Docs enable you to display safety notices without the need for drilling into walls. With a self-adhesive or magnetic back, you can easily frame and display important safety signs and notices. The clever design also allows for easy insertion and removal of safety notices without the necessity of moving the frame.

Funnysafetysigns

Signs indicating mandatory requirements consist of a blue circle with the pictogram or text in white positioned centrally.

A visible instruction from a safety sign gives a clear indication and lessens the likelihood of accidents to employees and non-employees, and therefore creates a safer working environment.

Safetysigns and symbols

These health and safety signs are required by the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 and in specific cases by the Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulations 1990.

The general mandatory sign of a white exclamation mark on a blue circle may be used in conjunction with a fire instructions notice.

Warning signs should be used to make people aware of nearby danger, for example, a flammable liquid store. These health and safety signs are required by the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 and in specific cases by the Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulations 1990.

Signs warning of a particular hazard appear as a black band in the shape of an equilateral triangle. The background within the band should be yellow with the imagery indicating the type of hazard in black, positioned centrally on the sign.

There are no pictograms for fire safety instruction signs and although mandatory in the UK through inclusion in the requirements of workplace fire assessments, such signs are not considered health and safety signs within these Regulations. Thus the familiar white-on-blue fire safety mandatory signs using text only will remain in place and will not have to be changed.

It should be noted that the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 do not apply to mandatory fire instructions but do apply to health and safety mandatory signs where imagery is required. The minimum regulatory requirement is for the sign to display appropriate imagery.

Wall safety signs can be supported with floor graphic markers. These can come with symbols and words, just symbols, or as half-circle floor markers.

In this blog, we’ll cover 4 compulsory safety signs in the UK workplace, as well as introduce you to some lesser-known methods of signage.

SafetyFloor signs

Prohibition signs can also be applied to the floor as a graphic floor marker. For example, you could highlight areas where forklift trucks or pedestrians are prohibited.

Importantly, having warehouse safety signs will help you to comply with the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 (the Regulations).

Breaching these strict health and safety regulations is a criminal offence. Enforcement by the relevant authorities can result in serious fines or imprisonment as outlined by the Health and Safety Executive.

These signs should be used for “Do Not” commands. For example – to indicate that smoking is not allowed in a particular area. In the workplace, they should be used to reinforce instructions prohibiting dangerous activities.

Warning signs can also be displayed as graphic floor markers, including half-circle floor signs. For example, you can highlight areas where pedestrians should watch their step, or areas where forklifts should sound their horn to alert others to their location before proceeding.

SafetySigns

Safe condition signs appear as a green rectangle or square with the imagery or text in white positioned centrally. As is the same way for mandatory signs, some UK fire safety signs in this category are not required by the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996.

These signs should be used to indicate actions that must be carried out in order to comply with statutory requirements. For example, self-closing fire doors that must be kept closed to comply with the fire risk assessment should be labelled with “FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT” signs. An area of a construction site where hard hats should be worn should also have appropriate signs at the entry points.

This is a great solution for when you need to get an important safety message across without going to the extreme of painting your warehouse or workspace floor.

Fire instruction notices are notices which list actions that occupants must carry out in the event of a fire and are, by convention, written in white text on a blue background but not in the circular format. The colours are used to convey the mandatory nature of the instructions but because of the amount of text typically needed, a rectangular format is used.

For workplaces in the UK, the following safety signs are compulsory to comply with the Health and Safety Regulations 1996: Fire safety signs, Emergency exit signs, Road traffic regulations within the workplace, and Prohibition signage.

Red safety signs are used as prohibition signage and dangerous behaviour; meaning to stop; shutdown; or evacuate. Yellow / Amber signs are warning signs, meaning to be careful, take precautions or examine. Blue safety signs mean that a sign is mandatory and that specific behaviour or action should be carried out, such as wearing protective equipment. Green signs signal an emergency escape or first-aid available. Green safety signs can also be used to label doors, such as exits, escape routes, equipment and facilities.